


Dawn of Redemption

by theSilverWolf



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, I gave Jim a last name in this story, Multi, Original Character(s), Violence, Virus, Walkers (Walking Dead), Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-04-20 01:41:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4768802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theSilverWolf/pseuds/theSilverWolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fight the dead. Fear of the living.<br/>A second life.<br/>Fate always changes. Just when you think fate is sealed it can take you by surprise.<br/>A small group of survivors stumbles upon Jim and rushes him back to their camp. Barely making it, the group is able to get to work and help Jim out before he turns. How? They discovered a "cure" so to say that can prevent bitten victims from turning. But just when there is hope, one group member becomes corrupted by power and schemes a plot to duplicate the cure and use it to “rule the world” so to say.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Andrew Rothenberg](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Andrew+Rothenberg), [My uncle (for his support)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=My+uncle+%28for+his+support%29).



> Since I felt so horrible about Jim's "fate" I decided to rewrite what happened to him on the show and take it into my own hands. I gave Jim a last name and threw in my own persona. Also most of these characters are my own and very few are originated from the show its self.

You’ve read about the world ending but never thought it would actually happen. When life suddenly came to a halt. The moment everything stopped. An apocalypse. It changes people. One day you’re living an ordinary life just like everyone else and the next, the life you knew vanished somewhere between the sight of people being eaten alive and others losing their sanity altogether. Now you’re forced to fight to survive. _Survival is everything_. 

  The entire city was on fire. The very place where I had grown up as a child was now unrecognizable. All those memories were gone. Screams and cries blurred with the loud sirens as the smoke filled the air. Chaos. Everything was in ruins. The world had finally ended.

I stood in shock as I watched helicopters fly over the city and drop bombs down on the streets below. The very streets I had walked on only days before. Survivors who had made it out in time stood behind me. Many sobbing as they knew their loved ones were now gone in the wreckage.

* * *

        It had been almost three days since Rick and the others had left Jim lying up against a tree on the side of the road. By now Jim was hanging on a limb. The infection from the walker who had bit him had spread and was affecting his perception. His vision was distorted and had grown critically worse. He could barely make out the view before him. Every breath felt like a knife stabbing him in the chest and every small movement sent a wave of pain throughout his body. Jim could barely hear the birds chirping above him in the tree or feel the warm sunlight on his skin.

* * *

Two trucks could be heard off in the distance down the road. For a split second, a spark of hope filled Jim. There are other survivors? Jim thought. But he quickly dismissed the thought, thinking back to his hallucinations as his small smile faded. He tilted his head back against the bark of the tree and looked up at the sunlight shining through the canopy of leaves above. Then he closed his eyes and thought about meeting his family once again.

  Once the truck was stopped, I ran up the hill and kneeled down in front of the man I had spotted from afar. He slowly opened his eyes when I had shaken him slightly and looked at me as I shouted out for help, but it was just slurred speech to his ears. I waved a hand in front of his eyes to see if he was elusive. His eyes didn’t move at first but instead were fixed right at me. He stared blankly at me for some time. Then he looked up into my eyes and I smiled in relief.

I reached out as I gently touched a hand to his face while looking him over. His skin was pale and he looked very weak and very dehydrated. 

“Hello? Can you hear me? What’s your name?” I asked, trying to keep him alert.

“J-Jim” He muttered.

Everything was a blur to Jim, but he could just barely make out the person before him. The young woman looked around mid-twenties with long dark raven hair. She wore a dark crimson baseball hat that shadowed her face with a casual dark gray shirt and dark blue jeans.

When I saw him slowly fade into unconsciousness, I took him in my arms and pulled him away from the tree. I gently laid him down on the soft grass a few feet away from the tree on the side of the hill. Sitting down on the soft ground, I cradled his head in my arms while I made sure he was still breathing. I called out to the others who were still down at the bottom of the hill near the vehicles.

“Hurry up!”

The others from my group grabbed some things from the vehicles and ran up the hill, catching up to where I was. They set the supplies down and took a step back from Jim to let someone through. Eagerly they stood by  while they watched a young blonde woman approach. It was Alison Wilson. Alison was a nurse in training while attending a class at a University before everything went into chaos. Alison kneeled down next to Jim and quickly looked him over.

“Is he bit?” She asked.

“I don’t know…” I nervously replied in a panic. “He just said his name was Jim.”

Getting no help by my answer, Alison sighed and got to work quickly, grabbing the medical bag and pulling out a sharp knife. I watched closely while I folded my arms across my chest and waited in anticipation as she took the blade of the knife and began to cut off his shirt. She stopped when she discovered the wrapping around his waist and let out a frustrated sigh,dropping the knife in the grass.

“Damn it. If we’re going to do this, it has to be now.”

A man approached and looked over her shoulder to get a better look at what was going on. He was about medium height with dark brown hair. He wore blue jeans and a dark gray short sleeve shirt. When he laid eyes on the wound, he reached over and stopped Alison from proceeding to examine him.

“Wait,” he said. “We don’t know how long he’s been exposed. What if it’s too late?”

Alison turned around behind her to give the man a sharp look, not wanting to deal with his dilemmas at the moment. It was a tough decision and being that she was the only one who was a medic, she got to make the calls. She only hoped she didn’t make the wrong one.

“Let’s move him!” She ordered, packing up her gear. The man who had stopped her before now stood in her way when she turned around to help the team. He was glaring at her with an angry glint in his eyes.

“We need to move him now,” She explained. “We take the precautions we can and worry about the rest later. Let’s go, John.”

So the group carefully picked up Jim and carried him down the hillside to the truck. They placed him in the bed of the truck while I jumped up in the back with him. I sat down on the floor of the back of the truck beside the unconscious victim. Two others jumped up in the bed of the truck with me and stood on guard with loaded weapons in case anything went wrong during the drive.

We sped down the abandoned road. A few minutes later the truck took a right and turned down onto a narrow dirt road through a thick forest with tall trees looming overhead above. The truck came to a stop just as the sun was no longer visible on the horizon. A few yards ahead behind tall wired steel fenced wall was a huge building. It looked like a college or a mansion. The brick walls on the outside were worn and cracked, possibly from being attacked by military or walkers.

“I don’t know if he’s going to make it,” I called out.

With little light left, I hopped down from the back of the truck and helped the team rush him inside the building. Frantic voices echoed through the corridors on the inside of the place as we raced to save him. Quickly we rushed him into a room and placed him gently down on a table.

“Where is the vile?” a man called out, entering the room.

The patient faded in and out of conscious while the group worked. One person strapped his hands while another chained his feet down to the table. Then another person took a bite guard mask and placed it over his face.

Once everything was secure, a man dressed in a military uniform stepped into the room with two assistants. It was Bryan. Bryan Slater was an ex-military medic who served in the army until the world had gone to hell. One assistant turned on a bright overhead light while the other grabbed some strange looking tools.

“Okay, knock him out but keep him alive,” Bryan ordered one assistant.

While everyone else cleared the room, I turned back and ran over to the man on the table and looked down at him. I took his hand in mine and held it tightly. An assistant stepped up beside me and injected the anesthesia. Bryan wasted no more time once the medicine had been injected as he quickly gathered his tools.

“Stay with us, alright?” I quickly whispered.

I looked into his eyes and watched the light in his eyes slowly fade. Once the patient was out,Bryan then ordered me to leave but before I did I gave him a meaningful glare.

“Don’t lose him,” I said in a low growl.

He gave me a firm nod before I released the patient’s hand and strode past him out into the hallway.


	2. Chapter 2

I anxiously paced back and forth as I waited outside the room in the hallway. One of my teammates, Alison, had decided to wait with me. She explained she wanted to keep a look out on the patient, but I knew she was lying. She was there for me. I hadn't made many friends ever since I joined the group,but Alison had always been there for me.

Hours passed by and soon day gave away tonight. I nervously glanced out the window to see it was pitch black outside. I didn't leave my spot as Alison went and brought dinner to me from the kitchen while we waited.

"Any news?" She asked.

I just shook my head no and sat down in the small wooden chair before eating my meal. My eyes were locked on the door as I ate in the hallway outside the door.

Finally, around midnight the door to the operating room opened as Bryan emerged and I jumped to my feet. I immediately took in the amount of blood on his clothes and the exhausted look on his face. The worst thought had crossed my mind.

"Well?" Alison asked impatiently.

Bryan took a deep breath and sighed before answering. I flashed a worried look over to Alison as she gripped my hand tightly.

"It's critical. Right now he's sedated,but we won't know for a few days. We'll have to have him monitored until he wakes up."

He gave a small shrug of his shoulders before excusing himself from the conversation and walking off down the hall. Eager to go in, I had to contain my excitement as I held myself back and peered into the room from through the small glass window on the door.

As the week progressed, we each took shifts watching the patient. When Friday came around I was only too keen to take up my post later that night. While I was on watch, sitting in my chair in the corner with my gun, something drew my attention. Muffled groans were coming from the patient on the table and I immediately jumped up from my seat, grabbed my gun, and called for help.

"Bryan! He's waking up!" I yelled out into the hall.

I kept my eyes on the person as I watched them thrash and claw to escape from the chains strapping him to the table. Bryan ran into the room with five others following closely behind him. He grabbed a flashlight and shined it in the patient's eyes. He thoroughly looked him over before signaling one of his men to remove the biting restraint. Carefully the mask was removed as Bryan stepped forward.

"Hello, my name is Bryan. Do you know who you are?" he asked.

The patient nodded and looked around. His eyes stopped when he spotted me and I could see how frightened he was.

"M-my name's J-Jim. It's Jim." he stammered.

Everyone looked at each other in amazement. Bryan strode over to a table and grabbed a video camera and handed it to a young man who started filming the scene. Bryan continued with asking Jim questions to which Jim replied normally if not perfect.

"Why am I tied up? Can you please untie me?" Jim cried out.

I stepped forward and stood next to him. I tried to calm him down the best I could.

"I remember you..." He said when he saw me.

I nodded and gave a small smile as Jim tried his best to reach out to me and take my hand. Bryan and the others yelled out in objection, but I didn't pull my hand away. When I looked into Jim's eyes I didn't see death. I saw life. He wasn't dangerous.

Bryan and the others agreed to have Jim kept in quarantine and monitored for a few more days until he was stabilized. So they took him and locked him up in the spare storage room. They didn't want to risk anything seeing how this could be a huge breakthrough for them and possibly any other survivors. I couldn't help but worry about Jim. He was constantly on my mind. I spent most of my time when I wasn't working or helping out the group, by his side just sitting outside his room door. Sometimes it would be very quiet while other days I could hear screaming and wailing coming from the other side of the door.

After a few days, I negotiated with Bryan to grant me access to Jim's room so I could help answer some of his questions and to keep him company. I was rather surprised when he granted my request being how cautious about this whole dilemma with the experiment. I walked down the hall to Jim's room but hesitated just outside his door. Finally, I managed to gather enough courage and enter the room. I unlocked the door and walked in,looking around the vast room. I spotted Jim a few seconds later,sitting at the foot of his bed on the cold cement floor with bare feet. I walked over and took a seat in a chair. There was a long pause of awkward silence. He was wearing a short sleeve black t-shirt and a pair of dark beige cargo pants.

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel better than before. I feel normal," he answered.

Jim lifted up his shirt and lightly ran a hand over the fresh scar where he had been bitten by the walker when the camp was attacked.

"How is this possible?" he asked. "How am I here? I should have turned by now..."

I leaned forward and sat at the edge of my seat as I looked directly across the room at Jim. I then went on to tell him the story about everything that had happened.

"Are you familiar with the virus?" I asked. Jim nodded and I proceeded with the explanation. 

"Well before everything went to hell,scientists created a new type of counter virus. This virus was called the Reverse System or RS19. This was able to reverse the effects from a bitten victim and make them better before it's too late."

"So why me?"

"Well, Alison noticed you were bitten and you were our last hope, Jim." 

"You used me as a test subject?"

"Yes, you were the only one who survived." I sighed. "You provided that the formula worked! We just had to tweak it a bit."

 Then I proceeded to tell how Bryan had stumbled upon a group of a scientist while he was on his return from his station in London after the virus broke out. It had taken years to even get a hint that it was possible for a cure to this disaster. Now they had instead focused on a small task of stopping the infection from turning victims.

After getting Jim up to date on the situation watched him for a reaction. But all he said was...

"I should be dead."

I got up from my chair, strode over, and kneeled down in front of him. I stared at him trying to read his expression to see if I could figure out what was bothering him.

"You're not. You're alive. And I'm glad."

Jim sharply looked up and glared at me. His eyes narrowed as he furrowed his brow.

"Why do you care?" He snapped. " I barely know you."

I dropped my gaze and shrugged my shoulders.

"Maybe I just wanted to show others there's still kindness in the world. I don't know." I admitted. "I'm tired of people turning on one another and fighting over careless things. I'm sick of the cruelness that has corrupted humanity. The last thing we need right now is to turn on one another when what we really need is each other."

I stood and looked down at Jim with a pleading gleam in my eyes. I had hoped my message would help persuade him. Jim glanced up at me and our eyes met briefly before he looked away.

Seeing how he was still trying to comprehend the entire deal, I decided to leave him alone for a while. I strode over to the door but I hesitated just as I remembered something.

"I'll leave some food by the door if you want it," I added, looking back at him.

I opened the door as I turned to walk out of the room but something made me stop.

"Thank you," Jim said.

I looked back at him and gave a nod. I took my leave and returned a few minutes later with a plate of food from dinner and some water. Jim seemed more relaxed when I came around on my second visit and it seemed that the more I visited the most stable he became.


	3. chapter 3

A few weeks had passed by and now Jim was released from isolation. Bryan didn't trust him with a room to himself without always having a guard on him so I suggested that Jim moves into my room. Each room had two beds so more than one person could share a room. Bryan didn't like this being he still didn't trust Jim, let alone with me, but I told him I could take care of myself.

I got new clothes for Jim from the storage room and showed him around the fort. Regardless of Commander Bryan's efforts of getting Jim to carry a firearm, I informed Jim to take it easy until he felt comfortable. For a while, he would barely leave his room only to eat and shower. I made sure no one around bothered him and tried my best to keep Bryan away even though he was becoming more ruthless and aggravated with me being so protective of Jim.

Poor Jim was a frightened little sheep who was misplaced with a pack of wolves. Luckily I wasn't like the others and showed a kinder side than my fellow comrades.

Somehow I managed to get Jim to agree to take a walk with me one afternoon on a stroll around the grounds. Bryan demanded that we stayed within the perimeters and ordered two guards to keep an eye on us from the tower. He was always over cautious about new things and was still unsure about Jim even after we had saved his life.

I waited outside Jim's room and luckily didn't have to wait long before the door opened and he stepped out. I could tell by the look on his face just how nervous he was about leaving his room.

"Hey, you don't have to do this, Jim," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking directly into his eyes. "It's your choice."

He gave a little nod and cleared his throat before putting on the jacket I had handed him. Even though the sun shined bright outside it was still cold outside with a light chilling breeze. I led the way down the corridor and out onto the grounds. I looked over to Jim to see him squint as he walked out into the sunlight. It took a while for his eyes to adjust from being cooped up inside for so long.

We walked side by side for a while and made our way around to the edge of the woods. The trees lightly swayed in the breeze as I gave a small shiver. The fall leaves crunched beneath my black combat boots as I walked.

"Do you think my friends are still alive?" Jim asked suddenly.

I stopped walking and looked over at him. Jim had told me about what he had been through with the last group and hoped that he would find them.

"From the stories you've told me, they got to be."

Jim glanced down at the ground before looking up at me with a small smile.

"Thank you...for all you've done. It means a lot and about what I said earlier I'm sorry; I really do appreciate you caring. It's just been tough these past few weeks."

I nodded understandingly while we continued on walking. I reached over and placed my arm over his shoulder, pulling him closer.

"Hey, it's okay. You're alive, Jim. So am I. We've survived this long.  Don't worry, we'll find your friends even if it means breaking every single one of Bryan's stupid rules."

Jim gave a small smile at my words and I could tell it made him happy. It even made me happy. We continued to talk about random things like the scenery and we joked about Bryan to help keep our minds off the chaos while we walked around the grounds.

Dusk came quickly and soon we headed back to the fort for dinner. But just when we were about to reach the entrance door Jim stopped me suddenly and glanced over to the tower  to make sure the two guards weren't watching us. When he saw their backs were turned he then pulled me close and leaned over to me before he whispered in my ear.

"It's not safe here."

I didn't reply, but instead just looked at him confused as he walked past me into the fort. I pondered on what he meant throughout dinner while avoiding his gaze as I sat across the table from him.


	4. chapter 4

That night after dinner, I couldn't help but ponder on Jim's words while we returned to the room for the night. I wasn't on guard duty that night so I had the night off to relax in my room and keep Jim company, or rather he keeps me company. I was only too overjoyed to finally not be alone anymore.

I had very little friends due to my shy and insecure personality and was also quick to get on some of their bad sides. So I had a lot of enemies around the fort. It wasn't because I was arrogant or cruel,but rather because I was defiant to the commander's orders and often rebelled which would often cause me to end up in the brig as punishment. Alison one day came to my aid after being locked up for refusing to kill someone.

Around midnight,while Jim and I were fast asleep, the fort alarms went blaring off and we both woke with a startle. I quickly jumped out of bed and slipped on my combat boots, grabbed my hat and put on my jacket before I grabbed my gun near the foot of the bed. Jim quickly scurried out of bed also and put on his jacket before he followed me to the door. I halted in front of the door before turning back to look at him.

"Go and grab my backpack from the storage room," I ordered. "I have to help the others."

I went to open the door and charge down the hall,but Jim grabbed my arm. I looked over at him and saw the same petrified look on his face when he was chained to the table.

"Don't leave me." He pleaded softly.

He looked into my eyes with a soft gentle, pleading gaze like a puppy. He went on to say about how we needed to stay together. But time was being wasted as I shoved him forward down the hall and repeated my order.

"I'll meet you out back!" I called to him before turning and running down the hall in the opposite direction.

I went on to meet up with the others to see what had set the alarms off. It was walkers. A whole pack of walkers suddenly came out of the woods and began attacking the fort walls. As if things couldn't get worse, a lightning storm erupted and knocked out the fort's power. Now it was dark and the defense systems were down. Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I quickly took in the scene around me. We were outnumbered.

I joined in the fight shooting down every walker I could get in the head and knocking them dead for good. A young man with dark short hair and a thin beard stood next to me a few yards away and the second I tore my gaze away to look at him, a walker came out of the woods beside him,clamped two hands down on his shoulders and chomped down on his neck with its teeth. The poor young man lets out a yell as he fell to the ground crying out for me to help him as the walker lay on top of him. I ran over and shot the walker in the head,kicking it off the victim. I kneeled down beside the injured man and  pressed my hands to the wound on his neck to try and stop the bleeding only to discover it was too late. The Walker had torn his jugular clean to shreds. Crimson red blood flowed from the sergeant's neck wound as it covered my trembling hands. I watched the light fade from the young man's eyes as his breathing slowed to a halt. Not wanting to waste any more time I left the deceased man and ran back to the fort to meet up with Jim outback behind the fort.

It was difficult to see as the rain poured down and the darkness blurred my vision. When I didn't find him straight away I panicked even more.

"Jim!" I shouted. No answer.

Lightning struck as it was quickly followed by a loud roar of thunder. I jumped slightly at every sound in fear that walkers had surrounded the perimeter of the fort. I needed to find Jim fast.

Just when I was about to give up and run off into the woods, a hand grabbed my forearm. Thinking it was a walker I let out a yell as I swiftly turned and aimed my gun to my attacker.

"Whoa! Whoa! It's me! Don't shoot!" shouted a voice.

I was very glad in that moment that I hesitated to pull the trigger only to find it wasn't a reanimated corpse attacking me. It was Jim.  I was overjoyed to see his face even if he stared wide-eyed at me with my gun still aimed at his head. Jim sighed in relief as I slowly lowered the gun and took my hand off the trigger while apologizing to him.

"This way," He ordered.

I didn't hesitate to follow him as he dashed off deeper into the woods. That night I didn't look back.


	5. Chapter 5

The rain had stopped just as the sun peaked over the horizon. Jim and I had managed to wander through the woods all night until we finally reached the clearing. We came across an open field and crossed it just as the sun rose over the hills a few yard off. The tall green grass danced in the cool light breeze as I trudged through the sea of green carrying my backpack. As we reached the end of the field we came across a small road. Seeing as how we didn't have a map and had no idea what direction to go in, I looked up and down the road to see if I could see any hints before I shrugged and I looked over to Jim.

"I think we should go that way." He said, pointing up the road. I just nodded in agreement, trusting him before I followed his lead.

 

  


 

Around late afternoon when the sun was shining up high in the clear sky we managed to reach a turn off onto a narrow dirt road. We stopped and took a break near the cross paths. My feet were sore from walking and my throat was dry as a bone but I tried my best not to show it. I squinted as I turned back to look at Jim to see if he thought we should continue or venture down this new path. Jim looked at me with concern and narrowed his eyes as he thought. Then he smiled and removed his baseball hat from his head before he placed it firmly on top of mine.

"There." he laughed. "Now you can see better."

It was a little big for me as the bill of the hat fell down over my eyes. After managing to get the hat to stay, Jim took lead as he decided it was best to go down the narrow dirt path.

"Might be a place we can stay for a while and rest."

So we continued on down the new road. My boots dragged and kicked up dirt which didn't help my already sore feet. I was tired and hungry and I was pretty sure I wasn't the only one. I was surprised to see that after an hour long hike down the path a small wooden log cabin became visible. I sighed in relief as my eyes fell on the cabin.

 

  


 

Jim and I cleared the inside of the cabin and made sure it was safe and secure. Then I went and barricaded the front door and covered the windows with blankets and covers for when night fell. While I was setting up I heard Jim holler from in the next room. Thinking he was in danger, I grabbed my gun and ran to see what was going on. I found him in the kitchen with a wide smile on his face.

"Look what I found." he said, pointing to a cabinet shelf.

I sighed and hit him on the shoulder as I walked over to see what it was.

On the top shelf was a pile of assorted canned foods and other goods. I hadn't seen so much food in a long time. I was overly excited. It was like finding a hundred dollars on the ground.

Jim and I took turns keeping watch while the other slept during the day since the light help the visibility. Jim took the first watch, but it was difficult for me to sleep with my mind constantly worrying and being in a strange house so I crawled over near Jim and curled up next to him on the couch. For some reason, it helped knowing he was there. I felt safe.

Jim didn't seem to mind me sleeping next to him and after about an hour he gently woke me. Barely awake, I lifted my head and blinked.

"Dad?" I mumbled. "What's going on?"

Jim called my name and gently shook my shoulder again,trying to wake me up more.

"Jim, right. Sorry."

I yawned and stretched before relieving him and letting him have a turn to rest. I took the next watch, standing and walking over to the window. I peered out to make sure it was clear of any walkers before glancing over to see Jim lay down on the couch. Once he was settled, he pulled his hat down over his face with a sigh. He didn't sleep long. About an hour or so later he woke up suddenly gasping and breathing heavily as he sat up and ran a hand over his face. I was in the next room when I heard him.

"You okay?" I asked, running to his side. I gently laid a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Jim took in a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah, just so damn hard to get some good sleep nowadays."

As night fell, Jim and I grabbed a few cans and cut the lids off with my hunting knife. We stayed close and kept an open ear out since it was hard to see through the darkness for any sign of walkers that would be lurking in the woods surrounding the cabin.

 

  


 

Early the next morning, Jim woke me at the first sign of light. I had apparently dozed off again even though I had gotten more sleep than him. He looked way worse than the day before as I gathered my backpack of things. I kept a steady eye on him but was careful not to bring it up in fear of not knowing what he would say or do. So I kept my mouth shut as we headed out and left the cabin behind, heading deeper into the woods as we followed a small worn path of fallen leaves.

"Could've been deer heading for shelter," I noted with a small shrug.

Jim was quiet most of the way as he continued our hike. Finally, just as the sun was high up in the sky shining down on us through the canopy of the trees, Jim caught a faint distance sound of voices coming from up ahead. The voices grew closer suddenly and in a panic Jim shoved me down and behind a nearby tree. His hand clamped over my mouth as we hid. I listened for any sounds but heard nothing.

 

  


 

Wide-eyed at his action I sat in disbelief at what he was doing. I used to hunt with my dad before the world ended and I knew how to keep quiet, but I didn't fight seeing as how I didn't want to compromise our position. So instead I slowly and carefully reached with my free hand to gently remove my pistol from my backpack side pocket. Once I got a grip on the handgun I could hear the sound of heavy boots tromping through the thin layer of dead leaves on the forest floor close by. I held my breath as my thumb slowly pulled back the hammer on the gun with a soft click.

But before I got the chance to make a move, a hand came around from the side of the tree and grabbed my backpack, dragging me with it on the ground. I cried out for Jim and reached out to him in a panic as he immediately hooked his hand around mine and tried to pull me back towards him. He held on tight and locked his fingers with mine as he fought to pull me back. Just then two tall men came out from behind and pulled Jim up from under his arms, dragging him away and tearing our hands apart.

 

  


 

I put up a good fight and struggled to get free from my backpack. When I did, however, as I got to me feet and started to run I saw a blurry flash out of the corner of my eye and before I had a chance to react I was struck hard in the jaw and knocked down as I fell to the ground flat on my back. Then everything went black.

 

I woke with an excruciating headache and sore jaw. I sat up and rubbed my eyes to clear my blurry vision only to discover I wasn't where I had left off. I wasn't in the woods anymore. I blinked and glanced around. I was in a room, laying on a bed, in a house. It seemed unbelievable at first but then I remembered the incident in the woods.

"Jim..." I mumbled to myself, recalling the incident. I bolted upright and sat up in bed. Then I quickly jumped up out of bed and on my feet more alert this time and looked around. I was alone in the room.

"Jim?!" I cried out, slightly panicking. "Jim! Where are you??"

My voice trembled as my heart raced and my breathing quickened when I realized he wasn't in the room. The sound of scurrying of boots came echoing down from the hall as I swiftly turned to see who it was. The door to the room swung open. It was Jim. And he looked much better. I sighed with relief as I ran across the room to him. Jim strode across the room towards me with a look of relief on his face and embraced me with open arms as I wrapped my arms tightly around him.

"I was so worried." I sobbed into his chest. "I was so scared, Jim."

He held me close against him and gently ran a hand through my hair to comfort me.

"Everything will be okay. We're safe now. I promise. You'll see." Jim murmured.

The soothing soft sound of his voice comforted me and helped me calm down. I pulled away to look up at him and could see the relief on his face, but when I looked into his eyes I saw worry.

Just then, another man stepped into the room and gently knocked on the door as he cleared his throat loudly to get our attention. He wore a plain white short sleeved t-shirt and dark faded blue jeans covering up a pair of dark brown boots. Jim and I broke the embrace and turned to the man standing in the doorway. He walked over to Jim with a wide smile.

"Great to have you back, Jim." He greeted, placing a hand on Jim's shoulder.


	6. Chapter 6

After rejoining the others, Rick had me pair up with Jim, Alison, and Jacqui. I didn't like being among strangers even though the only one I really knew was Jim and I was still a bit unsure of the man. For some reason the group made me feel uncomfortable. I longed to find my own group again; that is if they were still alive.

The group had found a small open field and decided to take precaution before setting up camp there for the night. So Daryl, Rick, and Shane went out and searched the place before giving the all clear that it was safe. The sun was setting and with little light left the two groups hurried to scavenge for whatever food they could find and wood for a fire.

Just as night fell, I was able to get a fire started for my group. While standing near the fire, my gaze wandered over to see Jim and Jacqui standing near the RV setting up a tent for the night. When he looked up Jim caught me looking and he returned a displeased glare in my direction. I scoffed and folded my arms across my chest before turning my back to him and walking off towards the edge of the woods.

"Hey, don't go too far!" He called out after me, but I just ignored him and continued walking.

Ever since he had rejoined his group, I seemed to become less visible to Jim and the group. I didn't fit in with the others it seemed and they didn't seem to want me there either. Rick always seemed to keep a close eye on me and always question whatever I did or said.  He didn't quite trust me and I wasn't sure why but it made me not trust him either.

I soon reached the edge of the woods but heard a twig snap which scared me as I made a frantic dash back near the fire to grab my gun, but there was nothing there when I returned. After the incident, I stayed closer to the group while exploring the grounds. While wandering around the area I stumbled upon something near a tree and kneeled down and picked it up; looking it over. It was some kind of animal skull. Jim noticed me out of the corner of his eye and lifted his head to see what I was doing. He finished putting up the tent before shortly after walking over to investigate. My gaze tore away from the object to see Jim approaching.

"That's not uncommon nowadays." He said, pointing to the animal skull in my hands.

I looked from him to the skull and back. Then it hit me. I had forgotten the horrible situation that we were in for a split second but now it was there, like a slap in the face. That tragic constant worry about death chasing us wherever we were seemed to never end.

"Let me see that a second," Jim said, extending an empty hand.

I carefully handed the skull over to him, placing it in the palm of his outreached hand. I watched with anticipation and waited to see what he would do with it.

"Looks like a coyote skull." He said. "Hold this a moment. I've got an idea."

Then he carefully handed the skull back to me with a smirk. I watched as Jim walked over to the small pile of wood near the fire and return with something in his hands.

"Found these while we were out gathering wood. Figured we'd find something to do with them. And I was right."

He had me hold the skull in place while he placed the two objects on the skull. This raised suspicion as I stood there watching him tinker with the skull. It wasn't until he had finished his work that I had realized he had placed two small deer antlers on the coyote skull.

"So what do you think? Pretty neat, huh?" He joked, smiling.

I gave a small smile and looked at the masterpiece he had created. When I had asked what we should do with it Jim snapped his fingers as another idea crossed his mind. Jim grabbed a hammer and a nail from his tool box in the back of the truck. Then I followed him as he walked over to a tree near the fire and watched Jim hammer the nail into the tree. Confused at first, I didn't quite understand what he was doing until he asked me to hand him the skull. I did as he asked and handed it to him while Jim reached up and hung the back of the skull on the nail he had just hammered into the tree.

"Nice job. I love it." I commented.

We both stepped back and admired it for a moment. Jim looked over to me and I returned the look. We stared admiringly at each other for a while. It was like I had fallen into a trance-like state, unable to speak or move. There was a glint in his eyes the way he looked at me as if I was a deer grazing in the meadow. But things quickly fell apart as we both tore our gaze away to see Alison and Jacqui approaching with food.

"Hey, you two! Want to help out with dinner?" Alison sarcastically asked.

She walked by us over to the fire while she carried some plates and dishes. Jacqui followed close behind her lead with a small bucket of fish and other various edibles. Jim sighed before stepping away to go help out. I soon followed.

The group settled around the fire to eat. Alison suddenly looked up from eating.

"Nice, but creepy." she said, nodding up to the skull hanging on the tree. 

Jim and I both looked over our shoulders and smirked.

"Yeah but I just found the skull. The rest was all Jim." I added, lightly nudging him with my elbow. 

He was too busy gnawing on a bone to notice me, or so I thought. Just as I went to take another bite of fish, something hit me in the back of the head and fell onto my plate. It was a bone.  
I looked over sharply in the direction it had come from only to see Jim snickering with his head hung low. I playfully slapped his shoulder and tossed the bone back at him.

"Add it to your coyote/deer skull!" I joked.

Alison and Jacqui laughed as they watched us playfully fight, throwing the bones of our scraps at each other like children in the middle of a food fight.  


After dinner, things grew quiet at both camps. Alison and Jacqui left to go visit the others for a while as I sat near the fire, holding down the camp. I quickly grew bored while listening to the sounds of crickets chirping loudly behind me as I stared blankly into the flames. 

My gun rested against the log near my feet, close by in case anything happened. I suddenly heard a twig snap and looked up to see Jim walking over with an arm full of wood. He tossed it with the rest of the pile and took a seat beside me with a tired sigh.

"Thought you'd never come back." I teased. "Carrying wood tired you out that easily?"

He scoffed and shook his head, leaning forward. He lowered his head and stared at the ground before looking up and tilting his head back, to gaze at the starry night sky as he spoke.

"No, it's not that."

His smile faded slowly and I knew something was troubling him. I had a good guess at what it could have been. Most survivors had lost family, friends, or anyone they were close too. Shortly after, he returned his gaze to the ground and leaned forward in his chair and lowered his head. 

 

  


 

Jim closed his eyes momentarily as I noticed his hands curl into tight fists. I could softly hear him whimpering.

"Hey, Jim?"

He didn't look up when I softly called his name. His face was shadowed by his baseball hat, so I couldn't see his face but I could hear him. Faintly I could make out the sound of him crying. I gave him a moment to himself. Jim let out a sniffle before sighing and lifting his gaze. He apologized for allowing me to see him in such state but I understood. When he looked over to me I could see the tears in his eyes and could see the pain in his expression. The poor man. He was suffering.

Jim reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. It was a torn old brown leather one. Inside he carefully removed a photo and handed it over to me.

"My family," Jim laughed halfheartedly. 

His smile faded as he watched my reaction to seeing the photo.

 

  


 

I could feel tears well up in my eyes as I looked at it. I had almost forgotten what it was like to be happy and seeing the photo warmed my heart to remind me that there once was happiness in the world. Jim leaned over and pointed to a beautiful young woman with long jet black hair.

"That's my wife..." He explained. "And my two boys."  
His finger moved from the woman to the two small boys in front. One was a little taller than the other but they both looked very similar.

"That's Daniel." He said, pointing to the younger. "And the tall one is Lucas."

Jim smiled at seeing both his sons. It was sad to see such a happy family be torn apart.

"What happened?" I carefully asked him. "If you don't want to-"

Jim waved a hand. He disregarded my take back of the personal question.

"You have a beautiful family, Jim."

I handed him back the photo. Jim lightly ran a hand over the photo before putting it back in his wallet. He leaned forward and folded his hands, staring into the fire.

"It was on a Saturday morning," He began. "We had planned to take the boys out on a hike that morning. The boys, they really enjoyed the woods. Daniel would always wake his brother before dawn just to watch the deer grazing in the meadow behind the house."

Jim paused as he reflected on the incident. The campfire crackled with the consumption of firewood, embers springing up from the slow charring pieces of timber that offered warmth to the group that surrounded it. I stood to see the embers run low and gathered a few more small pieces of wood from the pile and added them to the fire.

"I remember..." Jim continued. His tone had suddenly changed to a more shallow voice.

"Their screams woke us that morning. Julie, my wife, and I ran out to see what was going on and when we got there we found Lucas in the kitchen with his brother backed up in the corner holding a knife. He was standing in front of Daniel, protecting him. When we saw what had frightened them I wasn't sure if it was real or not. It felt like it was all a dream. There was one of them standing right there in the kitchen. I reached out and told Lucas to hand me the knife and ordered them both to stay behind me. But more came. I grabbed the boys and held them close in my arms. But it wasn't enough. All I could hear was their terrified screams and cries as more surrounded us. They were everywhere. Soon we were overrun. I couldn't save Julie. And the boys...they just ripped them right out of my arms. I couldn't do anything. I only escaped because the dead were too busy feeding on my family."


	7. Chapter 7

After four days on the road, we finally had found cabins that were abandoned and emptied near the shore of an ocean. Jim and his daughter and their dog, Buddy, had taken the one near the edge of the woods while I shared the other with Carol, Katy, John, and Alison. Rick and his family, along with Shane, took the third cabin. Jim and I had grown close over the time but it would soon end.

Everything, even if for a moment, seemed to be peaceful. The chaos surrounding us seemed to cease. Everyone was happy and everything seemed normal for once. We had food and shelter. People had actual beds to sleep on and showers. Familiar faces were seen smiling and laughing while the children ran around playing. Everything was civilized and it was almost too hard to believe.

Early one morning Jim walked over with his daughter to the cabin I was staying in and knocked on the door. I was in the kitchen making some breakfast for the group so Carol answered the door. Jim's daughter and Carl were about the same age and while they ran off to play upstairs Jim walked through the house looking for his friend. I smiled when I saw him enter into the kitchen.

"My brother's not giving you a hard time now is he?" Jim asked.

He flashed me a toothy grin and leaned against the frame of the doorway. I laughed and shook my head.

"No, but you are."

It was strange how suddenly everything seemed normal again. Others grew curious at seeing Jim and I so close and often secretly talked about it behind our backs.

Later that day as the sun set, I was out walking along the rocks when I looked up to see Jim and Rick out trying to fish. I smiled and gave a small laugh seeing Jim almost fall into the water when he attempted to toss the net.

Loud screams drew our attention, abruptly breaking the peaceful tranquility of the moment, as we ran over to see what was going on. We found Jim's daughter and Carl running towards us with a frightened look on their faces while they rambled on, pointing to something behind the cabin. We ran around the backside of the cabin to see what it was. It was a walker.

It's back was turned to us and it was chewing on something but I couldn't see from where I stood. Jim, however, saw what it was. He grabbed the gun from Rick's hand and pointed the barrel of the gun to the walker's head. Jim shot the walker in the head repeatedly, yelling in anger. When I saw that he was clearly outraged and was out of control I ran up behind him and grabbed his arms to make him stop firing. I cursed under my breath when I noticed what had set Jim off on the walker. There in front of us lay the poor golden retriever named Buddy with his stomach torn wide open. He was dead.

Jim kneeled down beside the dog and gently ran a hand through it's blood stained fur. Tears welled up in his eyes as he hung his head.

"I'm sorry,Bud." He whispered softly.

Rick, me, and Daryl helped bury the dog behind Jim's cabin. Before we poured the dirt on top of the dog's corpse, Jim's daughter came running from the cabin over to the grave with a letter in her hand. She kneeled down and laid it next to the dog's corpse. When I had asked her why she had written a letter, her reply made me immediately regret asking.

"I wrote a letter for Buddy to give to mommy when he meets her up in heaven. That way he can tell her we're okay, right daddy?"

It broke my heart to see her look up to her father with such hope. But Jim didn't answer. I looked over to see his back was turned away from the grave and from the group. He was hunched over, leaning on the handle of the shovel sobbing. When I went to gently touch his shoulder Jim lashed out in anger at me, yelling on about how he blamed me. Tears were streaming down his face as he hollered and pointed at me. Luckily Rick stepped in and held him back. I could feel my breathing quicken and my eyes well up with tears as my mouth hung slightly open in shock. My heart raced and I could feel my body betraying me as it trembled in fright. I didn't know what to do. I just stood there frozen with the same repetitive thought racing across my mind. _What did I do?_


	8. Chapter 8

After I gathered myself,I decided it was best to stay out of Jim's way. So I ran back to my cabin as Rick shouted out after me. Tears continued to stream down my cheeks as I shoved the door open and ran up the stairs to my room. I slammed the door and locked it before crawling into my bed and curling into a ball as I sobbed. I wasn't sure what had happened or how I could have hurt Jim ,but I knew I did. And he blamed me.

I still couldn't comprehend what happened so suddenly or how to deal with it. I cried myself to sleep and whenever I woke up and remembered what happened I would cry more until I couldn't cry even if I wanted to. 

  
  The previous Sheriff escorted Jim back to his cabin.

"Jim,why don't you go and take a warm shower? It'll help you calm down,okay?" Rick suggested. Jim nodded and headed down the hall.

"I should go check on her," Rick whispered to Carol while Jim was showering. Carol nodded and folded her arms across her chest. She reassured Rick that she could deal with Jim while Rick was gone.

"If anything happens,just yell. I'll just be right next door,okay?"

After Rick had left, Jim walked into the room a few minutes later with a new shirt on and jeans. Carol walked over to him and looked him over.

"Better?" She asked.

He gave a small nod and sighed heavily. Jim then lowered his head while he reached up and covered his eyes with his hand as he began to cry again. Carol tried her best to console him.

 

  


 

  
On the third day of not leaving my room, I heard a light knock on my bedroom door. My gaze didn't even budge at the sudden noise as I sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at my feet. My arms were wrapped around my knees, holding them against my chest while I rested my chin on my knee.

"Hey,it's Carol." Came a familiar voice from the other side of the door. "Can I come in?"

I didn't reply. My toes curled around the edge of the bed when she spoke. The guilt hit me like a wave from hearing her voice as I thought of Jim. I felt my sore throat tighten and my eyes burn from the tears that wouldn't come. I wanted to break down again and cry, but my body wouldn't let me.

"No one's seen you in days. You haven't eaten anything. Morgan,please let me in."

I buried my head in my arms and shut my eyes closed. I just wanted her to leave. I just wanted to be left alone.

Carol sighed and pressed a gentle hand against the face of the door.

"Morgan,please," She begged. "He's more upset with himself for what he did. It's not your fault. He just lost it. You should understand how hard it is to lose anything nowadays."

I lifted my head when she assured me it wasn't my fault. I let out a small sniffle and a whimper before getting up and slowly walking over to the door. My hand hesitated as it reached out to grab the handle. I forced myself to push through as I gripped the door handle and slightly cracked the door open,peeking out to see Carol standing in the hall.

"What'd you mean?" I asked.

The look on her face when she saw me almost made me regret my decision to open the door. She looked worried and anxious.

"Ji-I mean,I talked to him and he told me that he didn't mean to lash out at you. It's just...He's been through a lot. We all have. Look at yourself! Don't shut yourself out. Give him a chance." Carol explained. "He needs you. And you need him."


End file.
